


Cuddle Buddies

by UnoriginalAtBest



Category: Skeleton Clique - Fandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cuddling, Cute, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, One Shot, Original au, cuddle buddies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-02
Updated: 2017-06-02
Packaged: 2018-11-05 19:28:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11020020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnoriginalAtBest/pseuds/UnoriginalAtBest
Summary: Tyler gets lonely sometimes, but when his best friend Jenna finds an ad for a company that sends out people to cuddle you at your request, things don't turn out as planned.Aka, the fic where Tyler and Josh meet through a cuddling service.





	Cuddle Buddies

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so I feel like this fic is super shitty, but I worked really hard on it, so here ya go anyway. Idk why, but something about it makes me dislike it. I hope you guys enjoy it, though. Maybe it isn't as bad as I think it is???
> 
> Edit: ok so I read through the whole thing, and I've been getting a lot of positive feedback for this, so it's starting to grow on me. I think I was upset at first because it wasn't going as planned, and I had some mad writer's block after finishing the first arc to my main story. Either way, I'm starting to appreciate it more thanks to all the nice comments. Thank you guys so much!

Tyler was not lonely.

He _wasn't_.

Watching his friends flirt with their dates didn't make him wish he had a boyfriend. Seeing couples walk down the street hand in hand didn't make him wonder what falling in love felt like. Seeing cute, relatable relationship quotes on his tumblr dash most certainly didn't cause him to be upset, or sometimes cry a little.

Tyler motherfucking Joseph

was

_not_

lonely.

But that's just what he kept telling himself.

He hadn't been in a relationship for years. _Years_. And although he was partly to blame for being "picky" when he found a particularly annoying trait about someone, or found out that his date smoked, he still couldn't help but wonder why the universe wouldn't let him find someone and just be happy. He wanted someone perfect for him, someone who he could just click with. He had no type, no specific attributes that one had to contain in order to be his special someone, he just need said person to work with him. But, no matter how hard he tried, every single one of the 52 people he'd gone out with in the past four years just didn't work.

Yeah, he kept count. So what?

He most certainly didn't feel awful about that number.

But even though he was losing hope and had come to the conclusion that he probably would never find love, his best friend Jenna was always there to drag him out on a double date or push him to go talk to someone when they went out together. He found it annoying, yet he was grateful for the boost of motivation from the blond. He really didn't know what he'd do without her.

"Oooh, Tyler look." Jenna said from her spot on the couch. She stared at her phone with a knowing grin, biting her lip and glancing up at the brunette. Tyler looked up from his own phone.

"What?" he asked curiously. She scooted over on the couch to be closer to him.

"Check out this hot stuff." she said, and Tyler could feel his eyes rolling in the back of his head. "Hey, don't be like that! You gotta stay optimistic!" This is not what Tyler expected when Jenna said she wanted to spend the night and have some best friend time.

"Jenna," Tyler started, but she ignored him and held the phone out. "It's been years and- oh, he is pretty attractive." Jenna squealed. 

"I know! That's why I showed you!" she practically screeched. Tyler continued to stare at the phone for a few more moments before snapping his head away from the image.

"No, he's-...he's not my type." Tyler mumbled half-heartedly. Jenna scowled.

"And why is that, Mr. Tyler Robert Joseph?" she questioned, and he groaned at the use of his full name.

"Because-," he started, and then sighed in defeat. "I don't...like blonds?" he said, but it came out as more of a question. Jenna scoffed.

"You've offended me." she said with a hint of a smile.

"Too bad." he replied as he turned his attention back to his phone.

"Whatever," she said, and moved back down to her original spot on the couch. "If you want to spend the rest of your life without a man, then I can't stop you." Tyler took a glance at her.

"Yeah, well," he started with a bored tone. "I'm fine with that." Jenna cocked an eyebrow at him, and gave him an "are you serious?" face.

"Really, Tyler?" she half asked. Tyler paused in his typing to look at her once more.

"What?" he retorted. Now it was Jenna's turn to practically roll her eyes into the back of her head.

"I'm fine with that." Jenna said in a mock of Tyler's voice. Tyler's face scrunched up.

"I don't sound like that." he stated, and Jenna chuckled.

"Whatever you say." she replied and went back to doing whatever Jenna does on her phone. Tyler looked at her questioningly for a moment, before slowly looking away and trying his best to ignore the entire conversation that they just had. The room fell into an odd silence for a while. The two of them typed and scrolled away at their phones, doing things that normal people of this generation did. Except, Tyler's mind wasn't as focused on his phone as he let on.

He kept thinking about the things Jenna had said, and allowed his mind to wonder over what the future would be like if he could meet someone special. He'd been doing that a lot here lately, and sometimes he couldn't stop himself. The loneliness that had plagued him for the last four years had grown in the recent months, and he was pretty sure he knew why.

The anniversary of his last breakup was just around the corner.

_Gross._

Tyler continued to play on his phone.

* * *

"Tyler, get your ass up, we have plans today." Jenna exclaimed as she invited herself into Tyler's apartment. "We gotta get you all dolled up and ready to go. C'mon." Tyler groaned in his bed, and pulled his pillows over his head.

"If it's another date, I'm gonna have to decline." he yelled, although it was half muffled due to the cloth covering his face. Jenna scowled as she walked into Tyler's bedroom.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak the language of "no", now get up and get dressed." Jenna demanded, to which Tyler replied with a "yeah, I think everyone knows that", but she simply ignored his remark. "I know you don't have work today, but it's 1:00 in the afternoon." Jenna stated as she ripped the covers off of Tyler's body. He groaned louder this time. "Get. Up." she said firmly. Tyler peeked up at her through a crack in between his pillow and the mattress. He eyed her warily. Something about her stance seemed more confident than it usually was. She was trying really hard to get Tyler to go on this date, and, for some reason or another, something in his chest urged him to say yes while simultaneously screaming that this was a bad idea.

"Fine." he replied cautiously, and Jenna whooped. "BUT," he continued and her whooping ceased. "If my date turns out to be utter shit, then you have to take me to a real dinner anywhere I want." Jenna seemed to ponder this for a moment.

"Hmmm," she hummed. "Deal." And Tyler smirked. _The one time I kinda hope a date turns out awful._ he thought to himself. "Now get out of bed, and hop to it!" Tyler complied this time, pulling himself from the comfy security of his sheets to get dressed for whatever Jenna had planned. He stumbled groggily over to his closet and began sifting through his clothes. He pulled out a nicer looking flannel and a pair of black skinny jeans and set them aside, feeling that said attire would be fitting for a casual dinner.

"Oh, you won't be needing that." Jenna remarked as she grabbed the flannel and jeans and hung them back up in the closet. Tyler glared at her.

"Why not?" he asked suspiciously, but he didn't allow her to answer. "Wait, don't tell me you set me up with another athlete that wants to go jogging for a date. Jenna, that was actually the worst, why are you-" he began rambling, but Jenna cut him off.

"No, I didn't set you up with another running addict!" she affirmed. Tyler visibly relaxed at that.

"Then who or what did you set me up with?" he questioned. Jenna pursed her lips, and the relaxation Tyler was feeling moments before dissipated. 

"Just," she started. "Dress comfy. Like...really comfy. Like, "I'm staying at home and watching TV all day" comfy." Yup, Tyler was fucked.

"Why?" he asked, but Jenna held up her hand.

"Ah, ah, don't question it." she said as she pulled out a t-shirt and basketball shorts from his closet. "It's a surprise." She handed the clothes to Tyler who reluctantly took them. "Now go put on some clothes. It's not pleasant watching you fumble around in boxers." She smiled at him one more time before practically skipping her way out of the bedroom. Tyler didn't like the way this was going. He _really_ didn't like the way this was going. But, he couldn't back out now. He already agreed to a deal, and Tyler never broke a deal. He was going to have to push through this no matter what Jenna was planning.

* * *

Okay, maybe not.

Because this was far too much.

Once Tyler had finished "getting dressed" into his t-shirt and basketball shorts he made his way into the living room to wait for whatever Jenna was planning. However, when he walked in, the blond wasn't anywhere to be found. He knew she wasn't in the bathroom or bedroom since he'd just passed through there, and his living room and kitchen were connected. If Jenna was somewhere, it wasn't in the apartment.

Even so, Tyler figured she ran back to her own apartment to grab something, and he took the opportunity to have some alone time. He plopped onto the couch in a heap and breathed out a long sigh. He had only got out of bed thirty minutes ago, and he already felt exhausted. It was definitely going to be a long day.

This was only confirmed when he saw a small card sitting next to Jenna's wallet.

Tyler knew that this couldn't be anything important to Jenna, or else she would not have left it lying around for him to pick up whenever he pleased. He reached over, plucking the card between his long fingers and staring at the words written across it.

_"Cuddle Buddies Cuddling Service. For all of your cuddling needs!"_

_Wait._

_**No.** _

Jenna wouldn't. She would never set Tyler up on a cuddling date...right? But Tyler wasn't so sure. His hold on the card tightened as he turned it over.

_"Remember to wear something nice and comfy for the best cuddling experience! :)"_

Oh, he was going to fucking murder someone.

Lucky for him, Jenna chose that exact moment to barge right back into his apartment. He practically shot up from his seat at the sound. Jenna's cheery smile fell just as quickly as Tyler stood up, and she could tell from the rage induced look on the male's face that something wasn't right. Her eyes locked onto the card in his hand, and he could see regret and realization in her eyes.

"Jenna, a fucking _cuddle buddy?_ " Tyler asked in exasperation. Jenna awkwardly smiled at him. 

"Surprise..." she said with a small hope that Tyler would calm down. But he didn't.

"Oh my god, you weren't kidding," he mumbled, and began pacing his living room floor. "Call them and cancel it. Right now. I am _not_ cuddling with a strange man." Tyler admitted. Jenna immediately grew upset.

"But Tyler, they do back ground checks on their employees," she tried. "Their workers are super not murdery or rapey, and they're all attractive too. Please just go through with this!" Jenna pleaded like a puppy, but Tyler was not having it.

"That's not the point, Jenna!" he almost yelled. "It's a strange guy. Some man I've never met before. And he's on his way to come and _cuddle_ me? I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not a touchy kind of person." Tyler countered. Jenna fumbled with her hands.

"But-, Tyler!" she tried again.

"No, cancel it!" he interrupted, and he pushed the phone out to Jenna. She froze and stared at it for a moment. Tyler could see thoughts racing through her head, and he suddenly felt his stomach drop when she looked back up at him.

"No." she replied, and tilted her chin up in an arrogant manner.

"Wh-" he started, but Jenna interrupted him now.

"I said no," she re-affirmed, and leaned over to pick her bag up from the floor. She walked over to Tyler and quickly snatched the card from his fingers. "If you want to cancel it, find out how to do it yourself." Jenna began making her way to the front door, and all Tyler could do was gape.

"Jenna-" he attempted.

"You know, maybe this will be good for you," Jenna said as she stared back at Tyler. "I tried to do something new for you since the other stuff wasn't working, so maybe now that you have to deal with it something good will come out of it." And she sauntered her way out of the apartment. Tyler could only stand there like a dumbfounded idiot, and without thinking he started cussing out the heavens, yelling profanities at the sky as he grumpily paced his living room floor.

"Oh, and your cuddle buddy should be right outside." Jenna said abruptly popping her head back in, and then she disappeared once more.

_Jenna is so going to pay for this shit._

* * *

_Knock Knock_

_Ah, shit_

Tyler had been pacing his living room for a solid ten minutes before the knock on his door came. He knew it was coming, but even after thinking over the many ways he could turn the guy down, he still didn't know how. Tyler didn't like telling strangers no. He didn't know him, so it should be easier to say, "Get the fuck out, I'm not interested," but it wasn't. In fact, it felt _worse_. Regardless, his, he felt sick even thinking it, _cuddle buddy_ was at the door now, and he still didn't know how to explain to the guy that he needed to leave.

He could just...pretend he wasn't there or something.

Yes, that's brilliant! Just avoid the whole confrontation completely!

Tyler smiled to himself, and when the next knock came he no longer felt anxiety crawling up his spine. He simply plopped onto the couch and sank into the cushions. He breathed out a long sigh, and he could feel the tension leaving his body at the thought of being able to have a normal day.

But it was very short-lived.

Not even thirty seconds later he heard the sound of the door slamming open. His eyes widened to the size of saucers, and he shot up to his feet faster than he intended. He almost fell over when he saw Jenna burst into the room, keys in hand and a look of scary pleasure across her face. She didn't say a word. She just jangled the keys in her hand, and skipped out of the apartment once more, leaving the door wide open. All Tyler could do was gape.

"I-, Jenna?" he tried, but he received no answer from his friend. The only response that came was someone else waltzing into his apartment. Someone with bright yellow hair, and a killer jawline, and whoa Tyler suddenly forgot why he was so upset.

The man that stood before him was gorgeous, Tyler had to admit. His muscles showed through his white tank top in all the right places, and the basketball shorts showed off nicely toned legs. His hair was curly and cute, and his eyes were a dark mocha color that seemed impossible for someone to attain. He was stunning, and Tyler couldn't help but stare in awe.

"U-um. Salutations. You must be Tyler Joseph," the man said, snapping Tyler out of his reverie. "Your friend showed me in, but I didn't expect her to practically kick down your door." He laughed after he finished his sentence, and Tyler melted.

"Friend? What, uh, friend?" Tyler asked awkwardly, shuffling under the man's gaze. The yellow-haired man cocked an eyebrow.

"Ah, 'ya know, the person who barged in here, like, two seconds ago." he tried. "Blond hair, blue eyes?" He scanned Tyler's face for answers, but his expression remained awestruck. _Snap out of it Tyler, you must look like a goddamn idiot._

"Oh!" Tyler exclaimed, shaking his head and finally finding the energy to move. "Oh, yeah, her. She's, uh...something." Tyler chuckled, but the other man didn't seem amused. He gave Tyler a half smile and looked away. "What's your name?" Tyler managed. The guy looked back to Tyler.

"I'm Josh." he stated simply as he played with the carpet with his shoes.

"Josh," Tyler whispered, testing the name on his tongue. "I- I mean, yeah, Josh, nice to meet you!" Tyler quickly made his way around Josh and closed the door behind him. "Would you like something to eat, or drink or...?"

"No, I'm fine. I just came here to do my job." Josh stated, and suddenly Tyler remembered why he was upset.

"Oh, oh, yeah," Tyler said, dumbfounded. _Fuck._ Tyler hissed in a breath. "Uuuh...about that." Josh looked at Tyler with a worried expression.

"Is something wrong?" he asked. He seemed nervous, almost like he was expecting Tyler to say something bad.

"No, no, nothing's wrong," Tyler assured him. "It's just...agh, I'm sorry." Tyler walked over to his couch and plopped down onto it once more. He wrung his hands together and jittered his leg. "My friend, she...well, she kinda set this whole thing up without my permission. I wasn't expecting her to set me up on a cuddling date, or something." Tyler finished, and he nervously glanced at Josh who was now standing next to the couch.

"So...she expected you to go through with this?" he asked, perplexed. Tyler nodded.

"I guess," he said. "It's just, like it's nothing personal to you! You seem like a," Tyler paused, eyeing the guy up and down. "...attractive man and all, but, I don't do cuddling. Especially with strangers. Feels weird." A look of understanding flashed across Josh's face.

"No, it's cool, I get it," Josh said. "To be honest, it seems like it'd be super awkward anyway." Tyler grew confused.

"Wait, "seems"? Have ever done this before?" Tyler asked in curiosity. Josh shook his head.

"Nope," he said, popping the "p". "It's my first day. Didn't expect all this to happen." Tyler suddenly felt really bad.

"Shit, I'm...I'm sorry, dude," Tyler apologized. Josh breathed out a puff of air. His shoulders slumped and he suddenly looked very sullen.

"Yeah, it's just...," he started. "If I come back on my first day without completing my job I'll probably get fired. And I kinda need this job, 'ya know?" Tyler suddenly felt really, really bad.

The brunette studied Josh closely. He looked upset, and he seemed like he needed this job a good bit. Tyler thought for a moment. "Well maybe you could, like...stay? For a while. We don't have to cuddle, just maybe play video games or whatever. If that's chill with you?" Tyler offered. Josh lifted his head from staring at the carpet. His eyes ran over Tyler's form, and suddenly he beamed at him.

"Yeah, I..." Josh began. "That sounds good." he finished, and Tyler smiled back. Even though it felt weird letting a strange man stay in his apartment, a little part of him didn't mind. Tyler didn't want to be the one responsible for him getting fired. He wasn't a monster, after all. Plus, even though he wouldn't admit it, he kinda liked what he saw of Josh so far. Aside from him being attractive, he seemed nice enough.

 _Fuck it._ Tyler thought, and whipped out his trusty Game Cube for them to play Mario Kart.

* * *

"How the f-"

"First place again!"

"Dude, you totally cheated!"

"You're just being salty."

Tyler bounced happily in his seat. He smiled at the TV that was currently displaying his character winning first with the image of a trophy appearing on screen. He quickly typed in his initials for what seemed like tenth time, and all Josh could do was sigh in exasperation.

"Sorry if me winning got annoying or something." Tyler apologized as he finished inserting the three letters.

"No, it's not you," Josh assured. "The AIs were super annoying, though. I still got second place, but those guys were assholes." Tyler chuckled at that.

"True," he agreed, and set his controller down to stretch for a moment. His eyes wandered over to the clock on the wall. "Looks like your hour is up." Josh glanced at the clock as well.

"Oh shit, you're right," Josh admitted. "I better get going," Josh pulled himself up from the couch to make his way to the door. He quickly snatched his shoes and yanked them on to his feet, and turned back to Tyler who had walked to the door with him.

"Do I need to pay you or anything? This is a service and all." Tyler said as he pulled his wallet from the pocket of his shorts.

"Oh, no, no! You're friend must have already paid. You have to pay first before we come over." Josh responded, to which Tyler stuffed his wallet back into his shorts.

"Okay then." Tyler said, and Josh smiled at him.

"Well, uh...I'm gonna go now. It was nice playing Mario Kart even though I got my ass kicked." Josh said comically. Tyler laughed.

"Yeah, that was pretty sick." Tyler replied with a smile. Josh returned it, and reached to open the door.

"See ya." Josh said as he walked out the door.

"See ya." Tyler said, and then Josh was gone.

Tyler let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding, and practically fell onto the couch once he was in reach. He stared up at the ceiling, pondering the past hour of his life, and he realized that it hadn't been half bad. Sure, Josh had been sent over to cuddle him, but he didn't seem creepy or intrusive in any way. He was awkward and fidgety and all the things that Tyler wouldn't pin to someone who was that attractive.

It was pretty adorable, actually.

And Tyler really didn't want to admit that to himself.

He found his mind wondering when he could see Josh again, or even if he'd be able to. It was starting to weird him out how attracted to this man he suddenly was, and Tyler couldn't help but blame it on his crippling loneliness. Was that going to stop him? Hell no.

So, Tyler found himself doing something he couldn't believe he was actually going to do. He ran to his laptop and searched up the company's website. It wasn't hard to find, in fact, it was the first thing that popped up on his search results. He clicked on the link faster than he wanted to allow himself to, and was immediately greeted with shades of pink, and heart decorations, and pictures of attractive people.

The website had tabs for gender/sex preferences, sexualities, body types, and even personalities, and Tyler couldn't fucking believe that something as simple as cuddling could go this far. He didn't know where to start, and his mind was still in shock at the fact that he was actually looking for Josh on this website. After thinking for a few moments, he decided to start in the place that made the most sense to him: the gay males category.

He scrolled through many images of gay men for a good few minutes. Some were twinks, some were buff as hell, and others looked pretty normal, but none of them looked like Josh. Tyler furrowed his eyebrows in thought. Was Josh even gay? Was he uncomfortable because Tyler was a guy? He was about to start jumping to conclusions whenever he remembered the pansexual and bisexual tabs.

At lightening speed, Tyler clicked the "sexuality" tab and was taken back to a page that had a fairly long list of sexual preferences. He clicked the "bisexual" option first, and, to his luck, was immediately met with an image of Josh. He was smiling at the camera in a very shy manner, and his hair seemed to be a messier in the picture than when he first met Tyler. The tall brunette hovered the mouse over Josh's image and clicked on it after a few moments of pondering.

 _"Bisexual, top, likes to be the big spoon, prefers males over females."_

_Oh._

Tyler wasn't expecting that much information.

Even so, Tyler's breath caught in his throat when he realized that yes, Josh was into guys, and that yes, he also preferred males. It made his heart speed up happily, and he could no longer deny the attraction he felt towards the other man. _I like him._ Tyler realized, but before he could press the "request cuddle session" button, he stopped himself.

_What the hell am I doing?_

An hour. Tyler only knew Josh for an _hour_ , and he already had a growing crush on him. How pathetic could he get? He couldn't click that button now. That'd be ridiculous. Besides, how was he going to explain to Josh why he had another session? _"Oh yeah, my friend requested another session for me with you again."_ That'd totally seem realistic. He wasn't thinking any of this through. Tyler flopped backwards in his chair, his hand removing itself from the mouse.

"I'm such a fucking idiot." he mumbled to himself, and hurriedly closed his laptop. He was being irrational and clingy and annoying, and Tyler suddenly felt like shit. He pulled himself out of the chair and sullenly stalked off to his bedroom where he fell face first onto his bed and groaned into the pillow. Josh probably didn't even like him in such a way, so why bother with going after the guy? They spent a very short time playing video games with each other, barely even getting to know the other's personality, so it was highly unlikely that Josh thought much of Tyler at all. Requesting another session with him would only lead to frustration and confusion, and Tyler didn't have the energy to deal with that.

So he sulked in bed for a long time, and when Jenna asked how it went, he didn't bother to respond. He still lost out on his free dinner, though.

* * *

Morning coffee before working for eight hours editing audio in a studio was always a good thing.

Tyler was at Starbucks this morning. It was 7:00 AM and he needed to be at work in less than an hour, so he figured he'd stop by Starbucks on his way to wake himself up with some nice coffee. He didn't order anything extraordinary. Just a simple black coffee which he'd decorate with a small amount of cream and sugar once he sat down at his table. It was quiet boring, and the building was next to empty, surprisingly enough. There was the clinking of a few dishes in the background, and the sound of idle chatter. Just enough noise for it to be comfortable.

_Ding Ding_

But that noise was just a little too shrill and sudden to be comfortable.

Tyler didn't even bother to look up and see who had walked in when the bell sounded. He simply continued sipping his drink and staring out the window at everyone scrambling to work. Tall, grey buildings grew to touch and equally grey sky, which only added to Tyler's dreary mindset. He'd been pretty down for about the past week or so. Ever since the Cuddle Buddy incident.

Tyler inwardly groaned and set his mug down to rub at his temples. He despised thinking about that. It wasn't a pleasant thing to remember, especially when he realized how desperate to date someone he really was. Sure, Josh was nice. Yes, he seemed to have had a good time. But that didn't mean he wanted to hang our or potentially date a guy who he'd known for only an hour. Tyler shook his head.

_No, no thinking about that right now. Too tired._

He reached down and picked up his coffee once more, taking a long sip from the mug. He closed his eyes in pleasure at the taste, letting the liquid roll down his throat. Coffee worked miracles at preparing him for sitting around on a computer for eight hours. Back to the normal, boring life of his it was.

"Salutations. Is this seat free?"

Tyler snapped his eyes open at the sound of someone's voice.

Yellow hair. Mocha eyes that matched the color of his coffee. Shit.

"Sorry, did I scare you? You kinda look like you just saw a ghost." Josh said with a laugh. Tyler almost spit his coffee out, but he quickly swallowed it so he could speak.

"Sorry, sorry! I just wasn't expecting anyone to talk to me." Tyler said frantically. Josh laughed more, and Tyler swears up and down that he melts every time he hears it.

"So, does that mean I can sit here?" Josh asked with a grin. Tyler nodded vigorously, but caught himself before it could look too odd.

_Shit, shit, this isn't good. I wasn't suppose to see him again. This wasn't suppose to continue._

Josh carefully pulled out the chair across from Tyler. He sat down in it, placing his own cup of coffee on the table. "I didn't think I'd see you here." Josh admitted.

"Yeah, me neither," Tyler agreed. "I didn't know we went to the, uh...same exact Starbucks." Tyler tried, but he cursed himself for sounding so lame.

"I don't really go to Starbucks very much. I just decided to get some coffee this morning before rushing over to the office." Josh said with a smile. Tyler nodded at that.

"So, like," he started. "How does the whole...cuddling thing work?" Tyler asked before he could stop himself. He was curious.

"Josh cocked an eyebrow."What do you mean?" he asked. Tyler paused a moment.

"Well, you're kinda going over to people's houses and all...You'd think some freaky stuff would happen." Tyler clarified. Josh's face light up with understanding at that.

"Oh, well, um, first of all," he began. "It's a completely platonic contract. We aren't allowed to do anything sexual while we are on the clock. If we have a relationship with a client though, then it's different when we aren't working." Tyler leaned forward slightly as he listened.

"So you haven't come across any weirdos wanting to rape you or anything?" Tyler questioned. Josh chuckled.

"No, not really. All of the people I've cuddled have been pretty decent humans." Josh said. He pulled his cup to his mouth and took a drink.

"And the others?" Tyler pressed. Josh's expression turned wary at that.

"Let's just say I had to turn down a few people." he admitted. Tyler's face scrunched up in discomfort.

"Jeez, sorry man." Tyler said as he took another sip of his own coffee. Josh nodded, and looked down at his watch. He cursed under his breath and abruptly stood up from his seat.

"Shit, I gotta go now," Josh said, and Tyler looked on in concern. "I have to be at work in ten minutes. Um...," Josh paused a moment, looking Tyler in the eyes and then looking away before continuing. "Let's play Mario Kart again sometime." he said with a blush, and then hurried out of the shop before Tyler could even process what he'd said. He watched, dumbfounded, as Josh ran down the sidewalk and out of sight.

_What the fuck? Play Mario Kart again? But how? He didn't even give me his..._

...

...

_Oh._

Tyler almost dropped his cup at the realization that the only way he would be able to contact Josh is if he scheduled another session with him. Whether or not the yellow-haired man wanted that was a mystery to Tyler, but regardless, that'd be the only way he could contact him.

Either Josh was completely clueless, trying to get more money out of Tyler, really smooth, or just a complete idiot. Tyler just didn't know which.

* * *

_"New cuddle session request from Tyler Joseph!"_

He smiled.

_"Cuddle request accepted!"_

* * *

_"Your cuddle buddy will arrive shortly! :)"_

_Goddammit, I am so weak._

Since Josh had left Tyler no choice, the brunette found it appropriate to schedule another session, and Tyler was far from okay with having to do it.

First of all, that was $20 out of his own pocket for just an hour with this guy. Second of all, it was fucking Josh Dun. Adorably charming, yet amazingly hot Josh Dun. He was not okay with scheduling a cuddle session with him, no matter how much he wanted to.

Not to mention Jenna's "I told you so" and "I'll make sure to leave you guys alone ;)" texts that made Tyler's face burn a bright red. The whole situation was embarrassing, yet here he was, sitting around in his apartment in shorts and a t-shirt, waiting for Josh fucking Dun to come over to his house for a not-actual-cuddle session. It was kinda like a date. Sorta. If only one person knew it was a date, while the other came over simply because it was their occupation. So yeah...not a date at all, but still. He was going to have to live the rest of his life knowing that at one point he had a crush on a guy who's job was to cuddle people. This was fucking ridiculous.

_Knock Knock._

_Please kill me._

With the slowest walk Tyler could muster, he pulled himself up from his computer chair to waltz over to his front door. He wished the walk would've taken longer, but wishes didn't work for people like him. He opened the door far too soon for his liking, and low and behold, Josh was standing in the doorway with a bright smile on his face. Tyler half-heartedly returned said smile. 

"Hey." Tyler said in a meek voice. "Long time no see, haha." Tyler stepped aside, and allowed Josh into his apartment.

"Salutations," Josh greeted, and Tyler wondered if saying that was a quirk of his. "Thanks for booking another session, although we aren't actually cuddling." Tyler nodded.

"Yeah," he said and closed the door. "Ready to play more Mario Kart?" he asked. Josh's smile dropped at that, and Tyler's did too.

"Um, actually, I'm not really feeling Mario Kart today, if that's okay with you," Josh admitted. Tyler's expression turned confused, but Josh quickly corrected himself. "I mean, I know you paid for the session and all, and if playing Mario Kart is what you want to do, then we'll do it, but-"

"No, we don't have to play Mario Kart!" Tyler interrupted. He cleared his throat. "I don't really feel like playing it today either, but uh...what else did you have in mind?" Josh relaxed at Tyler's understanding. 

"Well I was kinda hoping we could maybe...talk?" Josh suggested. "If that's alright with you!" Josh clarified. Tyler shook his head.

"Yeah, no, that sounds fine," he admitted, and ran his hand through his brown hair. "Talking sounds...sounds fun." Josh breathed out a quiet sigh.

Talking. Josh wanted to talk to Tyler. Why? And about what? Tyler wasn't very interesting, so he hoped he wouldn't bore Josh to death. He wasn't really prepared to actually interact with Josh, so...this could go very wrong.

"Well, uh, go ahead and get comfy on the couch, I guess," Tyler said as he walked further into his apartment. "You want anything to eat or drink?" he asked. 

"Just some water would be nice." Josh said, and Tyler nodded as he walked off to his attached kitchen.

_Talking. He wants to talk. He wants to fucking talk. Calm down Tyler, you can do this._

Tyler glanced over at Josh as he grabbed a cup from his cabinet. He was facing in the other direction, so he shoulders were very visible. They moved in the best kind of way under his tank top, and Tyler found himself mesmerized by his muscles. Suddenly, Josh turned his head in Tyler's direction, locking eyes with the brunette. Tyler whipped his head around like someone had just grabbed his jaw and jerked it to the side. A huge blush crept up on his cheeks as he made his way to his freezer to drop a few ice cubes in the cup.

_I was wrong, I can't do this. Talking to him is going to be impossible!_

Tyler screamed in his head as he finally headed over to the sink to fill the cup up with water. He breathed out a long and heavy sigh and closed his eyes. _Okay, Joseph, calm down. Remember what your high school basketball coach used to tell you before a big game._

Once the cup was filled enough, Tyler turned the tap off and hesitated a moment before heading back to the couch. He handed Josh the water, and tried his best to pretend that their excursion a few moments before never happened. He speedily rounded the coffee table, and plopped down in the farthest seat away from the yellow-haired man. They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments as Josh took a long drink of his water. Once he was finished, he set the cup down onto the table and turned his body to face Tyler.

"So, uh," he started, and Tyler flinched slightly. "What do you do for work?" he asked, and Tyler's mind went blank.

 _Work, work, occupation, your job, dumbass._ "Um, I...I edit audio for shows and stuff." he managed, and mentally slapped himself.

"Cool," Josh said. Tyler tried his best to smile at him, but it came out as more of a cringe.

"Wh...what about you?" Tyler asked, trying to fill the void of quiet. Josh raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"Um..." he said slowly, and Tyler mentally punched himself this time.

"Ah, right, sorry. Cuddling and shit," he said and clenched his eyes shut in embarrassment. "Sorry, I'm not really myself today." Josh laughed.

"I can see that," he said. His eyes wandered around the room for a moment, and the smile on his face dropped as he caught sight of something in the room. "Whoa, you like Zelda?" he asked. Tyler's eyes followed Josh's gaze. He was looking at a figurine of Link that sat on his DVD shelf.

"Oh, yeah." he confirmed. "I have, like, all of the games." Josh's smile came back to his face.

"That's so cool! I like Zelda a lot too!" he admitted. Tyler smiled with him, genuinely this time.

"Which one is your favorite?" he blurted out. Josh pondered for a few moments.

"Probably Windwaker, 'cuz it was just so cute and nice." he answered. Tyler's smile grew wider.

"Really?" he asked, and Josh nodded. "Dude, me too." 

"What other games do you play?" Josh questioned. Tyler was beginning to feel more confident in his answers now.

"Well, I like..." Tyler started, and they continued on like this for the rest of the session. Tyler found himself relaxing as they threw questions back and forth at each other. He was enjoying talking to Josh about different things. Apparently he was into a lot of stuff, like space, and aliens, and he also played drums sometimes, to which Tyler responded that he dabbled in the ukulele. He wasn't confident enough to tell him that he sung sometimes, though. Regardless, what started out as a very awkward atmosphere quickly shifted into friendliness and comfort. Tyler admired the little things Josh did that he probably didn't realize, and sometimes Tyler would catch Josh staring at him too. Every time, they'd both blush, and whoever was talking would continue on as if nothing had occurred. By the time the hour was up, they were giggling and laughing at stupid jokes, and Josh didn't realize his time was over until fifteen minutes past the limit.

"Fuck, I really gotta leave." Josh suddenly said when he caught sight of his watch. Tyler's smile faded as Josh jumped up from the couch. "I'm fifteen minutes late." He hurriedly made his way to the door before Tyler could even say anything. "It was nice talking to you!"

"Josh, wait, can I get your-" but he was already out the door. Tyler groaned loudly. He let it happen again. He was going to have to schedule another session next week on his day off, _again_. Although, as he thought back to everything they'd done in the last hour, this time Tyler didn't mind as much.

* * *

The next time Josh came over Tyler made sure to ask for his number.

But that didn't mean he was going to get it from him.

Apparently, the workers weren't suppose to give out personal information while on the clock. Tyler wanted to tell Josh to fuck the rules, but he remembered what Josh had looked like when he mentioned that he could get fired, and he decided against it. He was just going to have to deal with spending $20 every time he wanted to see Josh. But that changed on the day of their fifth session.

"I hate that I have to spend twenty bucks just to hang out with you." Tyler said as he lapped the eighth place AI in a round of Mario Kart. Josh pouted.

"What, I'm not worth twenty bucks?" he asked with a smile. Tyler chuckled, but shook his head. 

"No, it isn't that. It's just that twenty dollars adds up after a while." he admitted. Josh pursed his lip as he thought for a moment.

"Well, how about I just give you the money back?" he suggested. Tyler's breath hitched.

"What?" he asked, and paused the game. "No, I couldn't do that to you."

"No, it's fine, here." Josh said as he pulled out his wallet, but Tyler grabbed his wrist to stop him.

"Josh, no, it's fine." Tyler insisted. "Really." Josh obliged, but when he left that day, Tyler found a twenty dollar bill sitting on his coffee table. He sighed in exasperation, but stuffed it into his pocket nonetheless. Every time after that, he would find a twenty laying around in his house somewhere, and he couldn't really deny money when he needed it.

A few sessions later, Tyler brought up another issue.

"Why don't we just make plans to meet up somewhere when you're off the clock so we can exchange numbers then?" Tyler suggested one day as they were eating lunch in his kitchen. Josh abruptly stopped chewing, and stared at Tyler for a few seconds before swallowing what was in his mouth.

"I-I'm busy a lot." he admitted.

"Well let's find a day when you aren't busy." Tyler pushed, but Josh shook his head.

"I'm busy, like...all this week." he tried. Tyler was suspicious, but Josh was extremely anxious due to this new topic, so he didn't pressure him any further. He was fine with their current set up, anyway, now that he wasn't constantly losing money.

So things remained as they were for weeks to come. Tyler would go to work all week, and so would Josh, but when Saturday came Tyler would schedule a session. Josh made sure to always keep that day open for him. Saturday was the only day open for Tyler, after all. But even though they only saw each other once a week, and Tyler was sorta struggling to pay rent because he was beginning to get less and less hours at work, Josh still managed to brighten up whatever gloom was over him when they met up. Two months passed, then three, and soon enough they were able to call each other best friends. Tyler was finally a little bit happier with life. And a little less lonely, he had to admit.

* * *

Rain. A lot of rain. A shit ton of rain. Tyler hated a shit ton of rain. It always made him later to work than usual, especially since he had to walk there. He couldn't get his morning coffee on days like this, either. He didn't make it through the doors of his work until he was at least ten minutes late. He was soaking wet, and miserable, and he couldn't help but feel like today wasn't going to be the best. This was only confirmed when his boss waltzed up to him, expression angry, and posture stern. Tyler suddenly grew very nervous.

"Where have you been, Joseph?" he asked in a harsh tone. Tyler winced. He never like his boss much.

"It's rainy today, sir. I have to walk to work." he countered. His boss huffed. 

"Yeah, yeah, just like you've been late on days where it wasn't rainy." he persisted. Tyler cocked an eyebrow. 

"I apologize sir, but sometimes the sidewalks are very crowded. I'd take the bus, but the stop near my apartment doesn't follow well with my schedule." Tyler said as he wiped his feet on the rug.

"I don't want to hear it, Joseph!" his boss said, suddenly raising his voice. Tyler backed up a step, eyes growing wide. "You've been replaced, you got that? With someone much more able than you seem to be." Tyler's breath hitched, and his heart felt like it stopped for a moment.

"Excuse me, sir?" Tyler asked in a meek voice. His boss looked down at him with a smug expression.

"You heard me right. Come back tomorrow morning to get your things. You're fired." he confirmed, and stalked off down the hallway. Tyler stood stalk still in front of the door. His breathing was ragged, and he could feel tears prickling at his eyes.

How was he going to pay rent now? He was going to end up homeless. He was already barely able to pay for his rent as it is. He doubted he could find a job soon enough to gather enough money for this month's rent, so what the hell was he suppose to do? This was bad. This was really bad, and before Tyler was able to gather himself, he pushed through the door and ran back out into the rain. He charged all the way back home to his apartment a few blocks down the way. Once he was outside and under the safety of the overhang he pressed his back to the wall and breathed in deeply as he tried to catch is breath. He could feel a panic attack creeping up on him, so he whipped his phone out of his pocket and pulled up the Cuddle Buddies website on his browser. He thumbed through the options until he found Josh's profile, and he clicked the button to request a session as fast as he could. It was a Friday, so he really hoped Josh would have a spot open for him.

After he stuffed his phone back in his coat pocket, he began to make his way into the complex and into the elevator. The elevator was empty, so he allowed his tears to start falling one by one. He was screwed now. He was going to lose his house, and he would have to move back in with his family after years of being away. He told them he would go to college for music and that he'd make it big, but all he ended up with was a job editing other people's auditory creations. How was he going to face them now that he lost even that?

The familiar ding signaling that he had made it to his floor shook him from his reverie. He pushed himself through the metal doors the second they were open, and quickly ran down to his room. Once at his door, he began to fumble with his keys, trying to work through his tears to get a grip on the right one. "Tyler?" a female voice said from down the hall. _Jenna_. His mind registered, but he didn't want to talk to her right now. He just wanted Josh to come over so he could let it all out to him, so he pulled himself into his apartment as fast as he could and locked the door. He knew Jenna had a key, but if she came in he'd just tell her to go away anyway.

The brunette threw his coat somewhere in the room, and headed straight for his bed. He lazily plopped down onto it and sobbed into his pillow. He was unemployed now. All because his boss was a dick. This was just great.

* * *

Somewhere in the same city, in a building not too far away, sat a yellow-haired man, checking his appointments for the day.

_"New cuddle session request from Tyler Joseph! :)"_

He smiled at his phone, but the smile quickly faded as he realized that today wasn't Saturday. A feeling of dread pooled in his stomach. He quickly went through his appointments for the day, and found a spot open for 9:00 AM. He booked Tyler for that time, even though he'd have to rush to Debby's afterwards. It was worth it for Tyler.

* * *

"Hey Tyler, it's me!" Josh said as he knocked on Tyler's front door. He only got silence in return, so he tried again. "Tyler! Salutations!" he tried again, but there still wasn't an answer. He sighed and pulled out his phone to make sure that Tyler hadn't cancelled the appointment or something. However, the doorknob began to slowly turn, and Josh's head shot up as the door began to open. He stuffed his phone back into his pocket, and when the door stopped moving, a very messy Tyler stood in the opening. "Oh, shit." he said, and simply allowed himself to go inside. Tyler moved out of his way, and shut the door behind him.

His hair was a mess, and his eyes were red and irritated from crying for the past couple of hours. His clothes were ruffled, and he was only wearing one sock, on top of that. Something was very obviously not okay.

"Tyler, what-" Josh started, but before he could finish, Tyler lurched forward, and wrapped his arms around Josh's torso in a bone crushing hug. He began to uncontrollably sob into Josh's chest, wetting his black t-shirt, but the shorter male didn't mind. He just enveloped Tyler in his own arms and allowed him to cry. "Shh, hey, Ty, it's okay." he tried, but the sobbing didn't cease.

"No, it's not okay," Tyler retorted. "I lost my job, and my boss is a dick, and I'm gon' lose my home too, a-and I won't be able to see you anymore 'cuz I won't have money." he babbled on, and all Josh could do was rub Tyler's back. This wasn't the first time Josh had seen him cry so much. There had been times where the poor guy had been so stressed from work that he ended up letting it out to Josh. They'd hugged before too, but this was a lot more intimate than the others. Josh didn't mind, though. He just wasn't sure how to calm Tyler down.

He did have an idea, however.

"Hey, Ty, calm down, okay?" he said soothingly. "Follow me, alright." He released his arms from around Tyler's shoulders and trailed them down his arms to rub them. He looked Tyler in the eyes and gave him a warm smile. "C'mon, Ty." he said and gently grabbed his wrists. Tyler sniffled and nodded, and let Josh pull him toward the bedroom. Josh guided Tyler over to the bed and ushered him to lay down. Tyler obliged, tears still running down his cheeks. Once he was laying on his side, Josh patted his head and rounded the bed. He kicked off his shoes and crawled onto the mattress, making his way closer to Tyler. Carefully, he took his arms and looped one over Tyler's abdomen, while the other squeezed in between his small frame and the mattress. Tyler stiffened at the sudden contact, but once Josh had pressed himself against Tyler's back, he relaxed and nuzzled into the embrace.

"Just breathe, okay, buddy." he said quietly. Tyler nodded, breathing in deeply and closing his eyes. His hands came up and cupped themselves over Josh's hands. A small blush resided on his cheeks, but he ignored it in favor of focusing on his breathing. "Just like that. Good job." Josh praised, and Tyler felt a small wave of butterflies in his chest at the approval.

They laid together like this for ten, twenty, thirty minutes, simply cuddling one another and relishing in the warmth. Tyler's anxiety attack faded out of existence, only leaving behind traces of clinginess and paranoia, but he was fine otherwise. At some point, Tyler had rolled over to face Josh, and his face was now buried in the shorter male's chest. Josh smiled at that, but it fell off his face as he looked at his watch and realized that he only had thirty minutes left, and he still didn't know what was wrong with his friend.

"Hey Tyler," he mumbled, pulling himself a few inches away from the brunette. Tyler groaned in protest, but allowed it to happen anyway. "Can you tell me what happened now? I got something about being fired, but that's it." Tyler looked down at the sheets.

"My," he started, his voice hoarse. He cleared his throat and continued. "My boss. He fired me for being late...I know that's a stupid reason to be so upset, but-" 

"No, hey, it's not stupid." Josh retorted. Tyler shrugged his shoulders. "Were you worried about money?" Tyler nodded, and Josh pursed his lips. "Can you afford this months rent?" Tyler shook his head, and Josh inwardly cursed. He paused for a moment, eyes running over Tyler's face. "Do you need somewhere to stay?" Tyler nodded again. "Would you...like to stay with me?" Tyler's eyes widened and his fingers stopped picking at a lose string on his mattress.

"Josh, I can't..." Tyler replied. "I can't do that to you." Josh scoffed.

"Do that to me?" he asked. "Tyler, it isn't a burden in any way."

"But I don't want to take advantage of your kindness, or something." he retorted, and Josh raised an eyebrow.

"Or something?" Josh repeated, and Tyler looked away from Josh guiltily. "Tyler, is there..." Josh started, unsure if he should continue. He watched on as Tyler curled up further into the bed. "Tyler...?" he pressed again, but received no answer. He sighed in defeat, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. He pulled up his contacts and pressed on a name labelled "Debby". He hit the call button and pressed it to his ear. Tyler's head leaned up, watching Josh curiously. Josh's face light up when someone picked up a few rings later.

"Hey Debby," Josh said, leaving out his "Salutations". Tyler sat up more. "Yeah, hey, um. I was just calling to tell you that you've kinda been a bitch to me here lately, and I'm breaking up with you. Mhm. Yeah. Like, actually breaking up...Well go fuck Jacob, then, I really don't care. Alright. Have fun getting HIV. Yeah, bye." And he hit the end call button.

Tyler's mouth was open in a "O" shape by the time Josh pocketed his phone and looked back in his direction. "What was that for?" Tyler managed to croak out, and Josh smiled. A blush crept up onto his cheeks as he realized what he'd just done and why he'd done it.

"Because I'm not a cheater...," Josh started. "And I wanted to do this..." he finished, and quickly lurched toward Tyler to press his lips against his. A muffled yelp came from Tyler's throat, but his surprise quickly melted into acceptance as he let Josh kiss his sadness away. Josh pulled away a few moments later with a breathy chuckle.

"Now do you want to move in with me?" Josh asked, and this time he already knew the answer.

* * *

"What do you mean there was never a rule on not exchanging personal info?"

"I mean, I kinda said that 'cuz I was nervous and didn't wanna cheat on Debby or something 'cuz we hung out a little too often."

"That doesn't make any sense, Josh."

"I know, but...if we got too close I might have kissed you sooner, and I don't wanna be labelled a cheater, okay. Even if she did deserve it. Plus, it was kinda fun watching you get all flustered when I'd leave and not give you my number."

"Oh, hardy har har. How funny. I was actually worried, ya know?"

"I'm sorry. But it did get you to go after me more."

"You guys are adorable."

"Shut up, Jenna."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. I wouldn't have actually been fired my first day if I didn't complete my job. I just thought you were cute, and really wanted to stick around."

"SHUT UP, JOSH."

"Cute, cute, cute!"

Tyler kind of wanted to kill Jenna and Josh right now. They were both embarrassing him beyond repair, and he swore he was going to drop his boxes down the stairs if his knees grew any more wobbly. He just wanted to hurry up and move his stuff in and let it be over with, but these two were not going to give him a break. Lucky for him, this was the last of the boxes.

Tyler practically screamed in triumph when he set down the last box on Josh's living room floor. He stalked over to Jenna as quickly as he could and began ushering her out of the apartment. She attempted to protest by saying that she wanted to see the rest of the apartment, but Tyler assured her that she would get to soon. Or someday. Maybe someday, if he felt like it. Even so, he was finally able to get her out, albeit with a "use protection" remark, along with a wink. He huffed once she was out of the house.

"Grumpy?" Josh asked, and Tyler nodded, walking over to Josh and laying his head on his boyfriend's shoulder.

"Can't believe it was that simple to move out." Tyler admitted, and Josh nodded.

"Yeah. It only took a week or so." Josh replied. He looked down at Tyler fondly. "C'mon." he said, grabbing Tyler's hand and pulling him over to the couch. He laid down on it sideways and patted the spot in front of him for Tyler to join him. He obliged, and flopped down onto the cushions in exhaustion. He nuzzled in as Josh wrapped his arms around Tyler's shoulders.

"You were right at getting a job where you cuddle people." Tyler mumbled, and Josh chuckled.

"Yeah, my cuddles are great." he responded. Tyler nodded.

"Mhm." he agreed. "Ya know, it's kind of ironic." Tyler shifted, turning his body around to face Josh.

"What's that?" Josh pressed on. 

"We cuddle more now after I stopped being a client than when I actually was a client." he clarified with a laugh. Josh laughed with him, leaning forward to give Tyler a quick kiss on the lips.

"Let's face it, Ty," Josh started after he pulled away. "You were always more than just a client."

**Author's Note:**

> woo, that was a fucking ride to write. Please leave me some feedback in the comments!


End file.
